Chad is a founding member of The Natural Step Canada and has recently been named as the organization’s next Executive Director, effective January 1, 2012. As Director of Programs and Strategy, Chad oversees strategy and delivery of The Natural Step Canada’s programs.

Chad regularly delivers presentations and workshops on sustainable development and The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and has provided coaching advice for dozens of businesses and communities in Canada and internationally, including The Co-operators, Nike, Rio Tinto Alcan, SaskFlax, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, and the Halifax Regional Municipality.

As an expert in The Natural Step Framework, he has also served as lead author or subject matter expert on a number of The Natural Step’s core learning materials, including its series of award-winning eLearning courses and its Guide for Community Sustainability Planning.

As a testament to Chad's leadership in the field of sustainability, he was recently honoured by Delta Management and Corporate Knights Magazine as one of Canada's Clean16—the 16 individuals in Canada who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism. Chad was recognized for his leadership and accomplishments in working with dozens of leading Canadian businesses and municipalities to help them integrate sustainability into their business strategy, operations, and organizational culture. Chad was also recently recognized as one of the AIESEC Alumni 40 under 40, showcasing some of the 40 most promising young leaders of tomorrow under 40 years old from around the world.

Prior to joining The Natural Step Canada in 2002, Chad worked on sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives with Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancity Credit Union, the Canadian Eco-Industrial Network, the Sustainability Asset Management Group, and the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a past national president of AIESEC Canada, and his facilitation and envoy experiences have taken him to dozens of countries around the world.

Chad holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management and Policy from the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.

In founding ecovox in 2007, Natalie set out to guide organizations engaged on the path to sustainability. By combining her award-winning experience in communication and her expertise in sustainability, Natalie acts as a catalyst for sustainable change. Every day, she strives to help her clients drive sustainability through communications and engagement. While her firm provides a wide range of services that include sustainability visioning, educational workshops and strategic planning, Natalie’s unique expertise lies in her ability to communicate about and for sustainability.

Natalie is fully bilingual (she also speaks Spanish) and is an effective presenter and facilitator. Following her second training with Al Gore in Nashville in 2010, Natalie became Regional Mentor for a group of certified volunteer presenters for Climate Reality Canada.

In her previous life, Natalie held management positions in various organizations including a large multi-national firm, Crown corporations, post-secondary institutions and government (both municipal and federal). Through this experience, she has developed a deep understanding of corporate cultures and can speak credibly to their challenges and opportunities.

In 2010, ecovox was short listed for the Prix d’Excellence (Micro-Business Category) of the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la Capitale nationale.

Natalie recently completed graduate studies in eco-consulting at the Université du Québec in Chicoutimi. She’s also an accredited business communicator with the International Association of Business Communicators.

Jay Kassirer, President of Ottawa-based Cullbridge Marketing and Communications, is a social marketing consultant, trainer and web publisher. Since 1995, he has applied social marketing to government and other workplace settings. He has contributed to the development of enduring sustainability programs offered in workplaces at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, and at businesses such as Bell Canada and Nortel.  Jay regularly leads social marketing instruction and case study workshops and webinars. He wrote and publishes the widely acclaimed Tools of Change website (www.toolsofchange.com), based on a community-based social marketing (cbsm) workbook he co-authored with Doug McKenzie-Mohr, and is recognized internationally as a leader in developing and promoting social marketing approaches.

Shyam Ramrekha has more than 10 years of environmental science experience ranging from managing projects to facilitating stakeholder consultation, negotiation and conflict resolution meetings in the not-for-profit, public and private sectors. As a Sustainability Analyst with the EcoLogo Program, Shyam develops environmental leadership standards for products and services. He also acts as a central member of the TerraChoice team in developing multi-disciplinary processes behind certification and client consulting engagements.

With the EcoLogo Program, Shyam leads standard development processes which involve conducting secondary research, facilitating discussions with stakeholders, and making technical decisions to establish certification criteria. Shyam has led the development process for the hard surface cleaners, printing cartridges, and biologically-based cleaning and degreasing compounds standards.

Shyam has managed and implemented environmental projects such as conducting environmental impact assessments, drafting technical reports, conducting site visits as well as conducting environmental audits in factories and implementing abatement measures. In Mauritius, Shyam led and coordinated environmental projects of national importance such as protection of sensitive zones and has acted as Secretariat for top level management and technical committees.

Shyam holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from the University of Mauritius and a Master’s Degree in Applied Statistics from Limburg University, Belgium. He continues to expand his environmental expertise by completing courses such as Sustainable Coastal Development; Wastewater Treatment; and Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Law.

Candace Labelle is working to inspire change and create a more sustainable society through educating fellow citizens on environmental issues. Candace speaks on a variety of sustainability topics at businesses and community events around the city.

Candace is currently serving as Vice President, Board Member and Presenter at The Climate Project Canada, a non-profit organization educating all Canadians about the impacts and urgency of the climate crisis.

Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Candace works for CSC - a global leader in providing technology enabled business solutions and services – where she leads CSC's corporate environmental sustainability programme: "CSC GreenWay".

Eric Novak is the Creator, Principal Contributor and Executive Editor of ENVIRO DAD. Eric is also the President and founder of Modern Media Perspectives. In this role, he provides media consulting services related to public and media relations, marketing and communications. He is a video producer, TV host, writer, blogger and custom publisher.

Eric is a nationally recognized public speaker and has presented talks and seminars on topics that relate to his profession and his passions. He has been personally trained by Al Gore (twice) and Dr. David Suzuki (once) to deliver a version of the slide show presentation featured in the movie An Inconvenient Truth on behalf of Mr. Gore to Canadians. Since being first trained in 2008, Eric has presented to over 15,000 Canadians in several provinces.

Mike Goodale has worked in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) for over 30 years, mostly with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Mike is presently the Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services Division (CSD) and Chief Administrative Officer for MTO.

Corporate Services Division leads the ministry’s budgetary planning and controllership functions. The division is responsible for the ministry’s facilities, finances, procurement and human resources and is also home of the OPS Fleet Centre of Excellence.

Mike has worked across all ministry divisions in various capacities. Highlights include the development of the Commercial Vehicle Impoundment Program in the Road User Safety Division and the implementation of the public 5-year highway investment plans in Provincial Highways Management Division. Mike also worked with Infrastructure Ontario on the alternative financing and procurement for the highway service centres. Earlier in his career, Mike worked in the Ministry of Finance where he participated in the preparation of the Ontario Budget.

As the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for the OPS Fleet Centre of Excellence, Mike plays a key role in executing the strategy to green the OPS fleet through the acquisition of fuel efficient and technologically advanced vehicles, including battery electric and hybrid vehicles. Mike is responsible for implementing a plan to reduce GHG emissions to meet OPS green targets, lead the OPS-wide anti-idling campaign and support the OPS Green Fleet Awareness Communications and Training Campaign.

Mike represents the province on external organizations as a Commissioner on the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and as Canada’s representative on the World Road Association (PIARC) Technical Committee on Financing, Managing and Contracting Road Infrastructure. A graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Mike holds a combined honours degree in Economics and Urban Geography.

Allan King is a Senior Consultant at Fleet Challenge Ontario where he has worked a demonstration project to lower idling in police cars and ambulances using green technologies. He is also the General Manager of FleetWise EV300 for the Toronto Atmospheric Fund. In this role, Allan is helping fleets become early adopters of electric vehicles. Prior to his recent projects, he was the Director of Fleet Services for Bell Canada where he worked for 33 years. Allan serves on the executive of the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA).

Jon Wagner has provided high-impact Organizational Development consulting internationally for 35+ years in both the private and public sectors. His experiences including holding senior management roles at Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies , Oracle, Alcan and the Ontario Public Service.

Jon was a pioneer in working virtually (also know as telework or telecommuting) and was featured in a Hewlett Packard company magazine in 1984 as one of the first managers in that company to work virtually around the globe. Jon subsequently led a virtual team in implementing a global initiative to virtualize much of the Hewlett Packard workforce. Jon has led, supported and researched many virtual teams for over twenty years. He has also developed and delivered team and organizational effectiveness assessments, workshops, highly interactive webinars, and interventions for global and cross-cultural teams. He currently leads large-scale change projects and organizational transformations, focussing on organizations challenged with becoming more virtual. Jon is actively involved in the community through various projects and committees. He has been in various leadership roles for the Organizational Development Network, Boy Scouts, and the United Church. He is involved in helping find solutions for the Homeless. Jon has B.A.Sc. and a M.A.Sc. degrees from the University of Waterloo where he specialized in cross-cultural systems. Jon is President of J Wagner Consulting Inc. and the Managing Director of VirtualeTeams.

Russ Milland (BASc., MASc.) has over forty years of cross-industry experience working in senior roles in major companies such as Imperial Oil, Allied Signal Aerospace, Group Telecomm and Canada Life Assurance as well as providing consulting services to other large companies as well as smaller emerging companies. Russ pioneered the introduction of promising new approaches to business design and optimization using high payout advanced technologies throughout his career. Russ passionately believes in using cross-disciplinary virtual teams and supporting collaboration technologies to maximize the probability of success in major transformational change projects. To this end, he has expanded his areas of expertise to encompass business design and optimization and organizational transformation in addition to the development and implement of advanced technology-based systems solutions.

Chris Hill is the President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, a national not-for profit advocacy group whose mission is to accelerate the use of electric-powered transportation. He is a social broker who connects industry, energy providers, end-user fleets and research entities, helping them gain the momentum that is critical to achieving their objectives.

Chris has an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto and is a Certified Management Consultant.

CARA CLAIRMAN is President and CEO of Plug’nDrive Ontario, a not for profit with the mandate to undertake activities that will advance the deployment of EVs to maximize their environmental and economic benefits to Ontario. Before taking on this role, Cara was Vice President - Sustainable Development at Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG). Her responsibilities included the oversight of environmental performance across the business as well as the development and implementation of OPG’s sustainable development policies and programs, including those relating to climate change. Cara joined OPG in December 1999 as an environmental lawyer, advising OPG on a wide range of environmental matters including compliance with environmental laws, environmental assessments, and the environmental implications of purchase and sale transactions. Prior to joining OPG, Cara spent five years practicing environmental law with the Torys law firm. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall and a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University. She is certified by the Law Society as a specialist in environmental law. Last but not least, she is married with two children, ages fourteen and eight, who make sure that she never takes herself too seriously.

Roger Smith is Executive Director of Fleet Challenge Ontario since 2005 and a key member of the E3 Fleet development team.

Prior to Fleet Challenge, Roger was Manager, Fleet Management Services, Toronto Hydro Corporation, the 2nd largest Municipal Electric Utilities in North America. During a 16-year tenure he pioneered fleet usage of biodiesel in Canada and successfully implemented numerous other green fleet initiatives. In recognition of these efforts he has received several industry awards for environmental accomplishments.

Roger is passionate about global climate change issues and is committed to making positive environmental change within the transportation industry. Throughout his career he was determined to introduce green options to fleets and prove their cost effectiveness. His successes in this regard have helped define fleet as an important and integral component to an organization’s corporate social responsibility plans.

Roger’s extensive fleet and business experience includes in-depth knowledge of fleet management software solutions, Activity Based Costing, Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Reliability Centered Maintenance. He has completed projects for provincial and municipal governments across Canada, Fraser Basin Council in BC, Climate Change Central in Alberta, Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition in Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Research Council.

He is a long-time member of SAE and NAFA. His strategies for financially accountable fleet management practices and green fleet solutions have been published in several industry publications. Roger’s Myers-Briggs personality profile is INTJ and when not reading his blackberry, manuals or reports, is a runner, cyclist, sailor, amateur photographer and astronomer and can frequently be found laughing over a Dilbert book.

Madeleine Plouffe has had extensive experience in ‘greening’ procurement throughout her career in the public service. Currently, Madeleine manages the integration of environmental considerations into the way government conducts procurement centrally. This includes coordinating the implementation of the green procurement policy within the Acquisitions Branch of PWGSC and working closely with OGGO, Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada to support federal departments in implementing the requirements of the Policy on Green Procurement. Madeleine began her career in procurement at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) then she developed a best practices guide and self-assessment tool for green procurement and supported the development of the Policy on Green Procurement. She also spent a couple years at the Department of National Defence (DND), where she lead Green procurement through the development of departmental policy directives, a training module, a community of practice, and an intranet site.

Daniel Choinière joined the CanmetENERGY Varennes research center as Technical expert of the Intelligent Building Team in October 1998. His primary role is to develop technologies to improve building HVAC systems operation and energy performance. This includes Automated Fault Detection, fault diagnosis, commissioning and energy management tools linked to building control systems. At the international level, Daniel is the co-operating agent of the IEA-Annex 47 project “Cost Effective Commissioning for Existing and Low Energy Buildings” with the participation of experts from 14 countries. Prior to joining the CanmetEnergy, Daniel spent over 15 years as a Senior Energy Analysis and HVAC Engineer at Publics Works Canada in Montreal. His work there centered on the design of mechanical system and the energy management of 125 buildings with an annual energy budget of $18 million. Daniel obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sherbrooke University, Quebec.

Ms. Quarshie has over 22 years of senior technical/executive experience in the energy, utilities and mining sectors – specializing in Health, Safety, Security, Environment (HSSE), Audit, EIA, corporate social responsibility, regulatory matters, aboriginal consultation, performing due diligence on operating facilities, and reporting to various stakeholders.

Until recently, she was a member of the National Energy Board, serving both as a panel member and Chair for NEB hearings across the country and prepared rulings on applications ranging in multimillion to billions of dollars. She steered the development of regulatory guidelines for facilities during construction and operations; participated in the development of Board positions on significant energy issues; and participated in setting the NEB total quality management system, with respect to ISO 9001 and 14001.

Prior to being appointed to the Board, she held senior executive positions in Cogema Resources Inc. and Cameco Corporation in Saskatoon from 1988 to 1999. She led the preparation of numerous environmental impact assessments for uranium mining projects, performed audits and compliance monitoring, implemented HSSE programs and risk management, participated in commissioning and decommissioning of mine facilities, and played the leading role in aspects of project approval including public hearings, stakeholder consultations, regulatory matters, government negotiations and MOU development with Aboriginal groups .

Academically, Ms. Quarshie has M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from Washington State University; MBA from University of Saskatchewan; and Bachelor of Science in Biological Science, from Notre Dame University. Additionally, she has a Certificate in Natural Gas for Power Generation – Economics, Technologies and Financing from the Oxford/Princeton Petroleum and Energy Studies program.

She is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan and is a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor.